Latest free edition of 'On Your Guard' gives the basics, as well as information about the full range of regulations and standards that are applicable and indicates the current versions of standards.


Procter Machinery Guarding, the UK's leading supplier of modular and bespoke machine guards, is publishing a third edition of its ever-popular free guide to machinery guarding standards. Available as a PDF document for printing by the recipient, the third edition of 'On Your Guard' has been updated to reflect recent changes in standards. It also has an entirely new section for 'Useful Resources'.

Now running to eight pages, the latest edition of 'On Your Guard' gives machine designers, health and safety managers, health and safety representatives and guarding specifiers the basics, as well as information about how they can find out more on specific topics.

Machinery guarding is essential if a machine is to operate safely, but many people are unaware of the full range of regulations and standards that are applicable.

This guide not only helps in that respect, but it also indicates what the current versions of the standards are so that users do not inadvertently continue working with out-of-date standards.

As a leading supplier of machinery guarding, Procter Machinery Guarding is fully aware of the applicable standards in the UK, Europe and beyond, so is ideally positioned to share some of this knowledge.

'On Your Guard' explains the importance of guarding and the ways in which well-designed guards can enhance productivity while ensuring operator safety.

It then goes on to describe the requirements of machinery guarding in relation to the machinery directive and CE Marking (often an area of confusion and misunderstanding), before listing the main standards that apply to machinery guarding and conveyor guarding.

In addition to providing information about standards, the guide also offers advice on how to approach the design of guarding and the specification of the access control system (interlock switches, for example).

This will aid the creation of cost-effective guard designs that will deliver an appropriate level of safety and help to avoid the dangerous practice of operators and maintenance personnel attempting to bypass the safety measures.

A new feature in the third edition of 'On Your Guard' is a section for Useful Resources.

This tells readers how they can request further free items such as a Risk Assessment Calculator, a Safety Distance Calculator and, for forward-thinking managers planning for every eventuality, a Machine Accident Investigation Kit.

At the rear of the guide there are contact details for a variety of sources of further information, including the HSE, BSI and DTI.

Many of these have been updated to reflect changes that have occurred since the last edition of 'On Your Guard' was published.